"The Church established by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit has been Celebrating the Love of God in these last twenty centuries either by the Sacramental Life, or her witness to Love, or through the proclamation - this is as well the story of the love of God" said the Archbishop Patriarch Filipe Neri Ferrao to 400 strong participants representing 164 parishes of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman which also include around 100 faithful from the Mission of Daman. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Goa Mission Congress, being held at Pilar. He also said that the gift of faith, proclaimed in Goa by the missionaries coming from the west, completes 500 years next year. This same soil gave Missionaries and to the other Eastern Countries so as to allow the faith to go spreading. And so God’s Love was always celebrated by the Christian faithful in Goa.

Earlier the Archbishop Patriarch Emeritus Raul Nicolau Gonsalves in his homily during the inaugural mass stressing on the centrality of Jesus said "Jesus, God made man; our Saviour and the living image of God gave us the message of God’s Love as He made us heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom by forgiving our sins through His Passion, Death and Resurrection. This very message was proclaimed to us by St. Francis Xavier among other Missionaries who leaving the shores of his native country came to India and other Asian Countries. As the fruits of this proclamation also the sons and daughters of our own soil, Blessed Joseph Vas among them, over coming all the opposition became courageous and enthusiastic ministers of Jesus."

The theme of the Congress "Let us spread God’s Love fired by Jesus’ Love" was developed by Fr Seby Mascarenhas, Rector of the All India Mission Seminary, Pilar, in his keynote address, as he spoke of God’s love expressed by the surrender of Jesus for the Salvation and peace for all.

Fr Saturnino Dias, Convenior of the Organising Committee of the Congress, spoke about the rich Heritage of faith received by the Missionary activity 500 years back, the heritage which was expressed in our own land through mutual love, service of the downtrodden and establishment of communities of Love, activity which was replicated in other places of India and elsewhere in the world.

Later in the day Goretti Martins, and Micheal Martins, Dr.. Rupa Colaco, Chanrakant Amonkar, Fr Roger Godinho, Natalina Picardo and Dr. Lata Mahala, shared of their own experience of Jesus who touched their lives to receive Him at a more personal level and allowed to be drawn by Him in the various walks of life in which they are.

A group from Nagar Haveli depicted through a choreography and power point presentations the pioneering work of the Goan Priests in establishing the mission and its growth in the far of land of the Mission of Daman.